Finding a Missing Notebook | Learn Chinese in English

Chinese lesson set in a contemporary Shanghai everyday setting: In a daily life setting, two adults look for a missing notebook and decide where to keep it in a backpack..

EN → ZH / Level: A1

About This Lesson

Use Finding a Missing Notebook to practice Chinese conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

我的笔记本不见了。

Wǒ de bǐjìběn bú jiàn le. My notebook is missing.
B

它可能在桌子上。

Tā kěnéng zài zhuōzi shàng. It might be on the table.
A

我已经在那里找过了。

Wǒ yǐjīng zài nàlǐ zhǎo guo le. I already checked there.
B

在你的蓝色包下面找找。

Zài nǐ de lánsè bāo xiàmiàn zhǎo zhao. Look under your blue bag.
A

我在包下面找到它了。

Wǒ zài bāo xiàmiàn zhǎodào tā le. I found it under the bag.
B

现在把它放进你的背包里。

Xiànzài bǎ tā fàngjìn nǐ de bèibāo lǐ. Put it in your backpack now.
A

我会把它放在前面的口袋里。

Wǒ huì bǎ tā fàng zài qiánmiàn de kǒudài lǐ. I'll keep it in the front pocket.
B

把它放在主口袋里，这样容易找到。

Bǎ tā fàng zài zhǔ kǒudài lǐ, zhèyàng róngyì zhǎodào. Use the main pocket so it stays easy to find.

Word by Word

我 我 means “I” or “me”; here it is the speaker in 我的是? Actually in 我的笔记本不见了, it is the possessor in 我的. It commonly appears before a verb or before 的 to show who is involved or who owns something.
的 的 links 我 with 笔记本 in 我的笔记本, giving the meaning “my notebook.” It commonly follows a possessor and comes before the noun being described, as in 你的蓝色包.
笔记本 笔记本 means “notebook” here, the item that is missing and later found. It is a noun and can follow a possessive expression such as 我的笔记本.
不见 不见 in 我的笔记本不见了 means that the notebook is missing or can no longer be seen. With a possession or object as the subject, it is useful for reporting that something has disappeared.
了 Sentence-final 了 in 我的笔记本不见了 shows that the situation has changed: the notebook is now missing. It commonly appears at the end of a statement when reporting a newly changed situation.
它 它 means “it” and refers here to the notebook. It is used as the object in 把它放进你的背包里 and as the subject in 它可能在桌子上, so it can refer back to a non-human item.
可能 可能 means “might” or “possibly” in 它可能在桌子上, showing that the speaker is not certain where the notebook is. It commonly comes before a location or action, as in 可能在桌子上.
在 在 shows the location of the notebook in 它可能在桌子上, meaning that it may be located at the table. It commonly comes before a place expression, as in 在那里 and 在包下面.
桌子 桌子 means “table” in 桌子上, the possible location of the notebook. It is followed by 上 to describe something located on the table’s surface.
上 上 in 桌子上 means “on” or “above,” showing that the location is on the table. The reusable location pattern is a place noun followed by 上, as in 桌子上.
已经 已经 means “already” in 我已经在那里找过了, telling the listener that the search happened before this moment. It commonly comes before the action being described, as in 已经在那里找过了.
那里 那里 means “there” and refers to the table area previously mentioned. In 在那里找过了, it follows 在 to form the place where the search was made.
找 找 means “look for” or “search” in 在那里找过了 and 找找. It is used for trying to locate something and commonly appears with a place or object connected to the search.
过 过 after 找 in 找过了 shows that the searching was done before now. It commonly follows an action verb when referring to an action that has happened previously, as in 找过了.
你 你 means “you” and gives the possessive meaning “your” in 你的蓝色包 and 你的背包. Before 的, it identifies the person connected with the following noun.
蓝色 蓝色 means “blue” in 蓝色包, describing the color of the bag. It commonly comes before 的 or directly before a noun when giving an attribute, as in 蓝色包.
包 包 means “bag” in 你的蓝色包, the bag under which the notebook may be. It is a noun and can be described by words placed before it, such as 蓝色.
下面 下面 means “under” or “below” in 包下面, identifying the area underneath the bag. It commonly follows the object or place that serves as the reference point, as in 包下面.
找找 找找 is a brief request to look or search in 在你的蓝色包下面找找. The repeated form keeps the action focused on taking a look, and it commonly follows a location in a request such as 在……下面找找.
找到 找到 means “find” or “locate” in 我在包下面找到它了, showing that the search reached the result of locating the notebook. The form combines 找 with 到 and commonly takes the thing found, as in 找到它.
把 把 introduces the item being handled in 把它放进你的背包里. It places the object before the action and commonly appears in the pattern 把+object+放进+place.
现在 现在 means “now” in 现在把它放进你的背包里, indicating that the action should happen at this time. It commonly appears at the beginning of a request or instruction.
放进 放进 means “put into” in 把它放进你的背包里, describing movement of the notebook into the backpack. It commonly comes before a container or destination, as in 放进你的背包里.
背包 背包 means “backpack” in 你的背包里, the container where the notebook should be kept. It can be preceded by a possessive expression and followed by 里 to mean inside the backpack.
里 里 means “in” or “inside” in 背包里, identifying the inside of the backpack as the location. It commonly follows a container or place noun, as in 你的背包里.
会 会 in 我会把它放在前面的口袋里 indicates that the speaker will or intends to carry out the action. It commonly comes after the subject and before the action, as in 我会把它放在前面的口袋里.
放在 放在 means “put” or “keep in a place” in 把它放在前面的口袋里. It describes placing an object at a location and commonly appears after 把 and before the location.
前面 前面 means “front” in 前面的口袋, identifying the front area of the backpack. With 的, it describes the following noun, giving the meaning “the pocket at the front.”
口袋 口袋 means “pocket” in 前面的口袋 and 主口袋. It is a noun that can be specified by a location or description placed before it.
主 主 means “main” or “primary” in 主口袋, identifying the backpack’s main pocket. It is placed directly before 口袋 to specify which pocket the speaker means.
这样 这样 means “this way” or “so” in 这样容易找到, referring to keeping the notebook in the main pocket. It commonly introduces the practical result of an action or arrangement.
容易 容易 means “easy” in 容易找到, describing the effort needed to locate the notebook. It comes before 找到 to form the meaning “easy to find,” while the full result comes from the whole expression.
到 到 in 找到 contributes the result of reaching or achieving the finding of the notebook. Together with 找, it forms 找到, and this result-focused pattern is used when an action successfully locates something.

Grammar Points

动词 + 过 + 了

找过了

zhǎo guo le

have already searched

过表示曾经做过某事；句末的了表示这件事到现在已经完成。

放进 + 地点或容器

放进背包

fàngjìn bèibāo

put into the backpack

进放在动词后表示动作的方向或结果，即“放到里面”。

Chinese Vocabulary

包 noun
bāo bag
笔记本 noun
bǐjìběn notebook
不见了 phrase
bú jiàn le to be missing; to be gone
放进 verb
fàngjìn to put into
可能 adv
kěnéng might; possibly
蓝色 adj
lánsè blue
那里 pron
nàlǐ there
下面 noun
xiàmiàn under; below
已经 adv
yǐjīng already
找到 verb
zhǎodào to find
找过了 verb
zhǎo guo le have looked for; have searched
桌子 noun
zhuōzi table

Quiz

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

table

Show Answer桌子

there

Show Answer那里

to put into

Show Answer放进

already

Show Answer已经